Russian Life With Slavic Liminals
by ChillingComrade
Summary: After inheriting his grandfather's house, 24 year old Alexandr Dobrov decides to sign up as a host for the Russian Interspecies Cultural Exchange Program. With his first homestay turning out to be an Aspid, how his everyday life is going to change and what other liminals are there in Russia? What is the Russian Cultural Exchange Program? Rated M for coarse language.
1. Chernobog's daughter?

_A/N: Greetings, ChillingComrade here. Before we start with the chapter, there is something I'd like to point out._

 _I am NOT a native English speaker; I'm 100%, undeniably, human-sacrifice-to-Perun-ly Russian. And while I am pretty confident in my language skills, there probably will be all sorts of mistakes, from punctuation and grammar to repetative and odd phrasing. I apologize for that and would like you, readers, to point out such mistakes. I really want to improve my English._

 _Of course, reviews are appreciated and I don't own any single one of the trademarks._

 _With that out of the way, please, enjoy my first ever work here._

* * *

~1 month ago~

"So you wish to become a host for the Interspecies Exchange Program?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure? I must warn you, that 'they' can be very different from us, humans, and need…"

"Don't worry, I have the housing and money required to take care of liminals," I cut in, interrupting the woman's speech. "Besides, their differences are the reason I want to apply for this program."

"Understood. Then, please, fill out this form and take it to the next window."

Nodding in response, I took the sheet and moved to the table in the middle of the room. There was quite a lot of people in the Migration Service's building today, but I was the only one interested in Cultural Exchange. Well, there also was a lizardman lady, who was just before me in line, and, as far as I could hear her, she wanted to change her host family. Bad treatment or something.

Anyhow, I could only wish her luck next time, so I focused on the application form in front of me. With my passport lying open beside me, I carefully write down the necessary information:

 **Full name:** Dobrov Alexandr Bulatovich (A/N: Alexandr Bulatovich Dobrov)

 **Gender:** Male

 **Date of birth:** 25.04.1993 (A/N: DD/MM/YYYY)

The reason I apply for this program, curiosity aside, is that I have inherited a house from my grandfather along with a nice sum of money. And using both of those to host a liminal or more seems like a good thing to do.

 **Relationship status:** Single

 **What liminals are you willing to host:** Any, except for aquatic species

 **How many liminals are you willing to host:** 1-4

Besides, there really is nothing else for me to do beside that. I've already graduated from a university, served my year in the army and got a job which allows me to pretty much stay at home all day long. That, and a couple more reasons which I don't feel like telling about.

Having finished filling the form, I signed it, put my passport in its place in my shoulder bag and walked up to window 13. The aforementioned lizardman was already gone, so I only had to hand the application to another clerk and see what she has to say.

"Hmm, yes, everything seems okay, uhh, Alexandr Bulatovich," muttered the woman, looking through the form I just gave her. "Thank you for your willingness to participate in the cultural exchange. We will run a background check to make sure you don't have any criminal records and send you a notice via e-mail in about a week."

"Thanks," I say, before leaning a little bit closer. "Excuse me, but how long does the whole liminal arrival thing usually take?" Not that it was really important to know, but I would like to have some time to prepare myself for the extraspecies' arrival.

"Well, after you've been approved for participation and given your certification, it takes a week to assign you a liminal, and, depending on where they live, 2 days up to an another week for them to actually arrive," the woman replied in a monotonous, if a little bit annoyed, voice.

After saying a short 'Thanks' in return, I walked out of the building. I took a moment to zip up my jacket and look around to find where I parked my car. Having done so, I walked up to a black Volga GAZ-31105 and got inside, slamming the door shut.

Leaning back into the driver's seat, I take a sip from the water bottle lying on the seat next to me, sorting out the thoughts and feelings about the whole situation. Because, let's be real here, I am basically letting different creatures, who were thought to be fictional until 3 years ago, live with me, in my house. It's like adopting a child, except the child is not human and is probably capable of killing me. I don't even know if I'll be any good as a host, and yet…

Oh, well, I could indulge in self-deprecation later. I still have things to do, like buying groceries and paying bills. Fuck those, by the way. It's just grazy how much the prices have gone up in recent months. Putting the bottle back in its place, I revved up the vehicle's engine and drove off.

* * *

~Present~

I let out a heavy sigh as I put aside my shaving machine. Looking in the mirror, I combed my short brown hair so it wouldn't be a mess. "Haaa, I fucking hate my job," I complained to my tired reflection. While programming is a profitable source of income, especially in a city like Bryansk, pulling all-nighters because of it will leave anyone in a potato-like state. As a result of yesterday's one, I've woken up only at noon, with a headache to boot.

Having done with bathroom chores, I went up to my room on the second floor. There, I put on my black tracksuit trousers and a green T-shirt. After that I moved down to kitchen to make some tea. 'Hmm, delicious,' I said ten minutes later, leaning into the armchair in the guest room with a cup of steaming beverage in my hand.

'But damn this house is huge,' I thought, looking at the room's ceiling. Even though I've been living here for a month, I still felt weird about the sheer size of the building. Take the bathroom, for example: it's a 4x8m room, half of which was occupied by a… What was it, again? Sentō? …Whatever. It was a Japanese-style bathtub around 40cm deep and the size of a small pool.

What I mean is this place is a fucking mansion. Two times bigger than any of the houses around and drains just as much money. But it's _much_ better than the cramped little excuse of an apartment I lived in before.

Still staring at the ceiling, I set the cup on my lap. 'Hmm, why do I have the feeling I'm forgetting something?' I thought, grabbing my phone and looking through the e-mail. Spam, Steam notifications, more spam, VK notifications, work-related messages, Twitter… Ah, here it is. Exchange-

*RIIIIIING*

-Program…

As soon as the doorbell stopped ringing, I remembered what I have forgotten. I've forgotten something really important; something that will change my life; something of global significance…

My liminal homestay is arriving today. They are supposed to arrive today at 13:00. And now is… 12:50.

"Shiiiit," I groaned, escaping the armchair's soft embrace and shuffling tiredly towards the front door. "Coming, I'm coming! Just a second!"

Just before stepping into the vestibule, I looked at myself in the mirror in the hallway. Aside from terribly tired eyes I saw nothing in particular. Choice of clothing might not have been the best, but I do have an excuse for that. At that moment another ring echoed through the house, prompting me to finally walk up to the door and unlock it. But what – or _who_ – I saw behind it left me speechless.

It was a girl. She was dressed in a red cardigan worn over a white blouse along with a black and white plaid skirt. Her raven hair reached down to just above her waist. A pretty face and big, blue eyes darting quickly between me and the ground. She was beautiful, but that's not what surprised me the most about the visitor.

The first unusual feature is her massive snake tail instead of legs, which was covered in shiny black scales, with the abdominal ones being grey instead. And it was so long, that it probably could go way past the front gate if straightened. Then there are her arms, covered in those same black scales, with small claws at the end of each finger. And lastly there are bird-like wings on her back which looked really big, despite being folded. Of course, they were black too.

Well, it is a liminal I was hoping for, but… I've never seen anyone like her before. Judging from her lower body, she must be related to lamias, but I don't remember them having wings. No, there are melusines, of course, but they have _dragon_ -like wings, with _no_ feathers. And she is not that Mexican-Indian-whatever quetzalcoatls, because they have wings _instead_ of arms. And they are dragons, not lamias.

For a couple of seconds I just stood there, looking puzzled at the girl's appearance, until she snapped me out of it with her voice, "E-excuse me… are you, um, Dobrov Alexandr Bulatovich?"

"Wha? Ah, yeah, that is me," I replied to the sudden question. Shaking my head, I regained my composure just enough to not appear flustered as I asked her in return, "How can I help you?"

"I-I'm here as part of the Culture Exchange Program, a-and I believe you are my h-host" she stuttered, clearly not used to talking with strangers. Can't blame her, really, seeing that she arrived alone to an unfamiliar house in an unfamiliar city. At least it looks like she is the liminal that was promised to come today.

With that in mind I say to her, "Well, come inside, then. Nice to meet you." At that, I step out of the snake-girl's way, as she slithered inside, muttering an embarrassed "N-nice to meet you."

"Do you need help with that?" I inquired, pointing at the case the girl carried in her arms, "It looks heavy."

"Ah, n-no, no. It's not that heavy," she refused, shaking her head.

"If you say so."

I never was a person to poke my nose in someone else's business, so I didn't insist on helping and just watched silently the girl before me make her way inside. She quickly made her way through the vestibule and into the hallway, where her upper body stood near the coat hangers and shoe boxes, while the rest of her body was still moving in from the street.

It was actually quite a mesmerizing sight to behold. While keeping the wave-like formation, her tail silently moved forward along the line, and, reaching the human upper body, coiled underneath it.

As the tip of the girl's snake part finally got inside, I closed the front door. When I turned around I found my guest staring at me as attentively as she could, but as I gazed back at her, she averted her eyes. Well, I didn't really expect her to be comfortable around me right away, but, you know, it still hurts a bit.

"Okay, follow me," I said to the lamia as I went past her into the guest room, gesturing her to follow. Once inside, I pointed at the couch near the entrance, while I walked over to the chair I was sitting in before, with the cup still standing on the armrest. As for the girl, she took her seat, placing the case on the floor nearby, and started looking around the room with eyes so wide and curious, that it made me snicker. She was rather cute, almost like a child, who got inside the car for the first time. The TV set at the opposite wall seemed to attract the most of the girl's attention. But there were things I wanted to know, so I took a sip of the still warm tea and started the conversation.

"Okay, I don't really know, what to ask, but..." I began, leaning forward a bit, "How about you tell me about yourself? Your name, where are you from, etc."

"Ah, y-yes, I'm Chernova Asya Afanasyevna, from P-Penza..." she stuttered, placing her hands on her, err... belly scales, yeah, let's go with that.

But it's strange for a lamia to have a Russian name and, what's more, be _from_ Russia. As far as I know, their kind lives in deserts, so shouldn't she be, I don't know, African, for example? And she also speaks without a slightest accent. Maybe her parents migrated here sometime ago? Then again, she has white skin, but I digress.

Anyway, she is a native Russian... what, exactly?

"Excuse me, if it sounds rude, Asya, but... What species are you? You look lamian, but..." I asked, rubbing the back of my head.

"A-aspid..."

"...Huh? What?"

"That's my species' name... I'm an aspid."

"O-okay..."

Well that's... interesting. Aspid. It's the first time I hear about such a creature to exist in reality, but there's also the Aspid from Slavic myths I've read about. If I remember correctly, it's an enormous black serpent with wings made out of fire or gems or just black wings, a beak and two trunks, which can only be killed by burning it. It's a terrifying, dangerous creature - unstoppable and nearly unkillable, created by Chernobog, god of destruction. As for this girl, she fits the description rather loosely, to say the least, although I can't say anything about the 'burning' part.

"…Yeah, you really don't look like the mythological Aspid," I muttered to myself, but the girl, Asya, as she calls herself, seemed to notice it either way, asking, "Excuse me?"

"I said that you are not like the creature from the myth," I repeat myself, more clearly this time. "While I can't say much about the wings, I don't see you having a beak or trunks, Asya. And, of course, Aspid was not supposed to be a girl."

"I-I'm sorry… If I didn't meet your expectations…" the aspid girl said, lowering her head apologetically and twiddling her clawed thumbs. Seeing that, I let out a long, weary sigh and get up from my armchair, putting aside the cup, from which I've been drinking tea up to this moment.

"Oh, come on, no need to apologize, especially for not meeting nonexistent expectations," I walked up to Asya, trying not to stumble on her tail, which was a bit hard to pull off, because the said tail was occupying a good half of the room's area.

Nevertheless, I found myself standing in front of her, as she lifted her eyes to look at me. I lost my breath for a moment, captivated by her face. Little black scales adorned the slightly crimson cheeks; pointy black ears stick out past the hair, almost mixing with their onyx background; and her large, sapphire eyes stared at me, confused by the actions of the man before their owner. And I was not able to stop a wide grin from appearing on my face, the expression on Asya's face growing more perplexed.

"W-what? D-did I d-do something...?" she asked, her voice shaky and slightly scared as I loomed over her. Her black wings unfolded slightly, covering her arms as if she tried to shield herself with them.

"No… You didn't do anything, just…" I mumbled, scratching the back of my head, not knowing what to say. "I figured, since you just introduced yourself, we should shake hands, right? So, uhh… Nice to meet you, Asya?" I extended my right hand to the girl.

Damn, nice way to go, Sanyok. You started this conversation oh so confidently and now what? You stand here, smiling like an idiot, barely connecting two words together. Is it because you are one on one with an unknown person? Or is it because it's a _girl_?

A few moments passed in an awkward silence, which felt like an eternity to me. As for Asya, her gaze shifted between my face and hand. After doing so a couple of times, her wings folded back, uncovering her arms again, and the girl grabbed my palm with her scaly one. It felt a little rough, but, at the same time, really soft and gentle. Then she looked straight in my eyes and a small smile appeared on her face.

"Yes. Nice to meet you, Alexandr Bulatovich," she said, previous nervousness and fear gone from her beautiful voice, as she shook my hand. Well, looks like I managed to not fuck our first meeting up, somehow. Maybe being not really used to talking with people outside work helped a bit. But damn her grip is strong. Where is she hiding all those muscles? Because I don't see any underneath her cardigan.

"Okay, now that we are officially acquainted, how about I show you the house and then get us something to eat?" I asked Asya, pointing at the door, as soon as she let go of me. 'I hope my hand's alright' I then thought, looking at the nodding girl.

"Sure, that sounds nice, Alexandr Bulatovich," she replied, standing up, if such terminology is applicable to someone with a snake tail.

Hmm, I don't really like how she's calling me so officially, but I don't want to force a friendly relationship on her, just in case she doesn't like it. So, swallowing my annoyance, I smile and spread my arms in an overly-dramatic manner.

"So, this is my guest room…"

* * *

 ** _YOU WERE EXPECTING A CHAPTER'S END, BUT IT WAS US, AUTHOR'S NOTES!_**

 _But seriously, I have more things to say about the fic._

 _What I want to discuss is, of course, location choice and it's implications. It must be clear from the title that the events of this fic will take place in Russia. It's called "Russian life" for a reason. What's important is that the story will be set in Bryansk, not Moscow or St. Petersburg. If you're not Russian, you've probably never heard of Bryansk, which just so happens to be my hometown. Because of that, I'll do my best describing it and, hopefully, I will succeed._

 _I will also change the Cultural Exchange Program's structure to make it more realistic. From russian's perspective, that is. Some laws will be altered, some won't even exist, you get the idea. I think I have an explanation for why things are this way - we'll see if it works when we get to it. But let me know if I should rather stick to the canon structure of the C.E.P. (Yeah, I'll be using this acronym, too)._

 _And, of course, the good part - the reason we're all here - the monster girls/boys. Again, "Slavic" is there for a reason. I'll be basing my characters on various slavic creatures, trying to make something sensible out of the mess that is Russian folklore._

 _Well, thanks for reading. Please, leave reviews, so I can see if you are interested in the idea of this fanfic and if I should continue working on it. This was ChillingComrade. До встречи!_


	2. A peaceful lunch

"Okay, how about you move into this room?" I ask Asya, as we both stand in a big bedroom on the second floor, located to the right at the end of the hallway. "Since my own room is the opposite one, I feel like this would be the best solution. How about it, Asya?"

"Sure, I don't mind, Alexandr Bulatovich," responds the black-haired aspid with a smile. Satisfied with her words, I nod and take a look around the room.

Besides its sheer size, it also had a full sized bed, a wardrobe in the lower left corner, a carpet covering the parquet floor and a shelf on the right wall. Walls themselves were covered in grey wallpapers with a black floral pattern. A pretty neat room, if I say so myself. My grandparents used it as their sleeping room, so, excluding my own, it was the most furnished room on the second floor.

Opening the curtain behind the bed, I inquire my guest, "With that settled, how about I make us something to eat? You must be hungry after all the moving, right? But I'm kind of low on food at the moment, so can't promise much." As the light started pouring into the room, I turn around to see Asya nodding in response.

"I am hungry a bit, actually. Thank you, Ale-* _GROWL~*_ " she started speaking, but was shortly interrupted by a loud and lengthy sound from her stomach. As I stifled a giggle at the sudden noise, the girls face turned deep crimson. She then clutched at her still growling stomach and, most hilariously, wrapped herself in her black wings, with only the head sticking out of the feathery cocoon.

And I proceeded to straight-up laugh my ass off at this cute moment of embarrassment.

"W-what's so funny?!" Asya shouted, raising her flushed face to stare furiously at me. But, you know, her angry expression was just too cute to actually make me stop. The fact that she looked more pouty than actually offended didn't help, either. Few seconds have passed before I could speak clearly.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," I said, putting my hand on the aspid's head for the lack of a better alternative, since she was still enveloped in her wings. Stroking her hair gently, with my back facing her, I continue, "Well, start unpacking your stuff. I'll be in the kitchen. Go to the living room when you are done." With that, I put my palm away from Asya's head and walked up to the door.

…Also, is it me, or did I just hear her hissing?

As I stepped out into the hallway and turned around to close the door, it was slammed shut before I could do anything. I was so surprised that I didn't react at that in any way, just standing there dumbfounded. The only things I could make out were Asya's blue eyes with tears in their corners and the tip of her massive black tail swinging upwards.

"Fuck," I exhaled wearily, scratching my head. There's no use denying that I've messed up. After all, who likes it when they're being laughed at in their embarrassing moments? Nobody, of course, and that girl is not an exception, I'm sure. Why is it at these moments that I act like a jerk?

"…And it has been going so smoothly," I mumbled, going down the wooden stairs and into the kitchen. I mean, Asya looked like she was having fun while I showed her around the house. She was asking me a lot of questions about the different electronic devices in the house, especially the microwave. She just couldn't comprehend how one is able to heat food without using fire until I had roughly described to her the device's inner workings. At least I didn't have to tell her how a computer works, primarily because we didn't get to see my room - the only room with such a device.

Remembering this made me snicker as I stepped into the kitchen. Once there, I started rummaging through the fridge's insides in hopes of finding something to eat. Although there were enough stuff such as vegetables, meat and eggs, I had ignored it, instead looking for something that can be prepared in a few minutes; I just didn't feel like actually cooking for now. At last, after a minute of searching, I found two packs of blintzes lying in the freezer. One had them filled with meat, and the other – with quark, each package containing 10 pieces.

"Well, that's something, at least," – I mumble, putting the two packs on top of each other in the microwave, setting the device on "unfreeze" mode. In the meantime, I've taken two frying pans from a cabinet under the countertop and put them on the stove, pouring a bit of sunflower oil on each one. Then I went to the living room to turn the TV on, just so I could have some noise in the background while cooking. I wonder what the news agencies have in store for us today.

"… _Yesterday, the forces of the Directorate "P" of the FSB Special Purpose Center have successfully captured Emil Pâslaru in his mansion in Shilovo, Ryazan. He is a Romanian strigoi, who first came to Russia as a participant of the C.E.P…"_ the announcer's voice said before being interrupted by the oil sizzling as I put another blintz on the pan.

Lately, a lot of operations against liminal criminals have been carried out. It's already the third time in the last two months they report such an event. It's a shame that there are individuals out there who use their status as a C.E.P. participant to commit crimes, although, as far as I heard, that Romanian one has become a legitimate citizen a year ago or so. Don't know anything more than that anyway, mainly because I'm not really interested in this whole thing.

In less than 20 minutes all 20 blintzes were ready, lying on the plates, and, as I turned off the burners, a creak came from the hallway. When I turned around with dishes in both hands, I found Asya standing in the living room without her cardigan on and sticking her tongue out, it's forked tip twitching slightly. Witnessing such a weird sight, I stopped in my tracks and stared at the aspid girl with my own mouth slightly ajar. Should I mention that the tongue was at least 10 centimeters long? Is she doing this because she's partially a snake? Regardless, after looking around the room, she stopped her gaze on me.

First, she relaxed her tongue, which dropped down, hitting her chin with a quiet slap. Then her eyes widened from the shock as she slowly realized that I've just seen her demonstrating her less human side. After that her cheeks turned deep crimson. And, finally, she drew her tongue in and hastily turned away from me.

…Yeah, I'm not unseeing that one. Although it was fascinating in a weird way, not gonna lie.

Just as the awkward silence starts filling the room, I shake my head and take a deep breath to put my mind back on tracks. "Okay, Asya, food's ready," I say, putting the plates on the dining table in the living room. "Come take a seat."

With a tense nod as a response, Asya sat herself next to me, looking at her lap as she fidgeted in her seat anxiously. Her cheeks have gotten a little bit less red, but she still didn't dare to look at me. As for me, well, I just stared at the ceiling, leaning into the chair to the point where it had started to creak audibly.

…Damn, okay, okay, pull yourself together, Sanya. Why are we having this moment? Because you are an asshole, who just had to laugh at the girl just moments after she finally looked like she is feeling comfortable around you. How can you fix that? Probably by apologizing.

…This is just hilarious.

"Hey, As-" I start speaking, turning my head so I can look at Asya, but stop, as my gaze meets with a pair of blue eyes staring at me, mere centimeters away. The aspid in question was facing me with a complicated expression.

"U-um, Alexandr Bulatovich," she stutters, "I w-want to apologize…"

"…For what, exactly?" I ask, taken aback by the sudden statement.

"W-well, for slamming the door and… for h-hissing at you…"

"Uh-huh." I mutter, facing away, so that Asya doesn't see my current expression.

Well, that was unexpected. I've figured that she would be angry at me, wanting an apology, but it seems like she is a self-conscious type or something. Not that I don't like it - just a little surprised. And realizing that made me feel even worse, because I still believe that I'm the one who should be sorry.

"…Well, you forgive me, too," I say after a moment of silence. "Y'know, shouldn't have laughed at you and stuff. I'm sorry if that offended you in some way."

"N-no! You d-didn't offend me in any way!" Asya denied frantically, waving her black-scaled hands before herself, before putting them back on her lap and turning away slightly. "B-but I'd prefer… you not doing that again."

I smiled slightly at that last part. The fact that she had expressed her displeasure at my actions made me feel somewhat relieved. I don't really like when people hide their feelings. This shit causes too many fights, and I don't want such a thing happening, not in my house. Yeah, shy, but honest. I like this girl.

Well, since we now have this little situation of ours cleared up, I guess we should get to the reason we are here in the first place. I slam an open palm on the table, startling Asya, who had jumped a bit in her seat, and say, pushing the plate with meat-filled blintzes closer to her, "Here, these are for you. I'd thought that you would like some meat for lunch, since you're partially a snake."

"T-thanks," the aspid stuttered, reaching out to the dish and taking a blintz. Again, she had her tongue flicker out of her mouth, probably trying to taste the scent better, if I'm not mistaken in my knowledge of lamias. Letting out a satisfied hum, Asya then proceeded to take a huge bite off the thing. She chewed it loudly, which, while somewhat cute, wasn't all that amusing to hear.

"Hey there, your manners. Watch them," I say with a smile on my face, eating a quark-filled blintz of my own. "Eat quietly."

A muffled apology was the answer, the words of which I didn't even bother to understand, opting to just sigh instead, "And don't speak with a full mouth."

"S-sorry," Asya apologized after swallowing. "I'm just not used to human manners."

'Yeah, I can see that,' I retort in my head, choosing to nod instead of speaking, silently eating my own share of food.

* * *

 ** _Author's notes time!_**

 _My apologies for uploading such a short chapter, I was having some problems. And I was also being a lazy asshole who'd rather make a few runs in TBOI instead of doing something useful. So, in order to not make you wait for God knows how long, I've decided to upload this little chapter. It's just a bit of extra character building, and I'm still not so sure if it was really necessary in terms of pacing and story flow. There's also a few moments regarding the world building, but I'll leave it for you to think about, my readers (I also don't want to waste the space on explaining all this shit)._

 _And I've FINALLY managed to put some line breaks in the first chapter!_

 _Anyway, thanks for reading, leave your reviews and, maybe, PM me some suggestions, if you really want, though I can't promise that I'll put them into the story. This was ChillingComrade. До встречи!_

 _Update to answer a question:_

 _So, blintz. What is this. It's a blin (блин), which in itself is a Russian form of a pancake, which is then folded to form a casing, inside of which you put some filling. Like a crepe, probably, but closed. Just search for "Blini" on Wikipedia - it's explained there in more detail, with pictures. Should've described it in the actual text. Sorry._

 _Also, TBOI stands for "The Binding of Isaac"._


	3. Foreign environment

It's the second day since Asya's arrival, somewhere around noon, and I've decided that I should show her around the neighborhood. You know, since it's my job as a host to familiarize whatever liminal is staying with me with human society. But, to be fair, I didn't plan to take the girl to any of the sights, because I don't think it's a good idea to show her the places the backgrounds of which I don't know. But I'll do it sometime later, maybe.

At the moment, though, our activity was more like a regular stroll, where I choose the path and try to answer any questions Asya asks, most of which were about what this or that store sells. Can't say that this wasn't fun, since it was the first time I've seen someone have such a genuine interest in mundane things. She was looking around with such curiosity in her eyes that I couldn't help, but smile. In fact…

"Hey, Asya, how about we go there?" I asked, pointing at the grocery store we were passing. "The heat's killing me, and so I'd really love to have something to drink."

"S-sure," the girl answered with a nod. Unlike me, who was fanning his face violently with an open hand, she seemed to be perfectly fine. I wonder if she feels the temperature to the same extent as me.

Either way, we both walked up to the door, which I opened and held in place until Asya's body was fully inside, which took quite a long time. When the black scaled tip finally made its way past the door, I stepped in and stopped for the second, letting the cool air from the AC blow at my face. "Whew, what a hot august we have this year," I sighed.

Now, the shop we entered didn't differ that much from your standard one: pretty spacious with shelves full of different goods lined up along the right wall and refrigerated counters with meat, milk and the derivatives of thereof separating us. All of this was run by a woman, who appeared to be in her forties.

But I paid her no mind, since my attention was focused on Asya, who seemed to be experiencing quite a cultural shock. She was looking at the stock with a childish curioucity, studying the colorful packages and whispering 'What's this,' between the amazed gasps. She did this, moving from counter to counter, slithering over her own snake body, while I was choosing between the awailable drinks. Humming, I decided to stop on a bottle of kvass, the brand of which I couldn't remember seeing.

I was about to step up to the cashier to voice my choice when I felt a tug on my shirt. Of course, I found a hand, covered in black scales, holding on it, with the hand's owner looking at me with an almost begging face, her saphire eyes darting between me and one of the counters. I raised an eyebrow and Asya's face has turned red as she asked, turning her head to look at something beneath the glass, "W-what's this?"

"What, you've never seen quail eggs?" I asked, looking at a pack of 20 tiny eggs with black spots on their shells. Asya nodded timidly in respose, prompting another question from me. "Want me to buy some?"

"Ah, w-well, I... No, um..." she tried to refuse my offer, shaking her head, but, after I gave her the 'I know you want it' stare, she accepted. "Y-yes, I would like those eggs," she said quetly, the tip of her tail waggling slightly in the corner of my eyes.

'Hm, now I feel like an asshole, for some reason,' I thought while asking the woman behind the cash register to give me the kvass I chose and two packs of eggs for Asya. All together they cost me around 200 roubles. Not that expensive, actually, for the quail eggs. Could've taken a cheaper brand of kvass, maybe, but whatever.

After putting the eggs into the backpack I brought along, I walked out of the store with a sizeable bottle of beer-like brown beverage in hand, yet again holding the door open for Asya. While she was moving her tail, I overheard two women behind me talk to each other…

"Look at this ugly creature, slithering here. Can't it move faster?"

"At least she's leaving already. Doesn't she understand that there are people waiting outside while she's occupying the whole shop?"

"I doubt that the hell spawns like her know anything about human world. And, for some reason, government's even paying those hosting them, while old people like us are getting barely enough to buy food."

…And so on. Asya was already on the street, her tail coiling near me, and those _hags_ have gone inside the grocery store, but I was still standing near the door, anger burning inside me.

What is _wrong_ with those two? No, what's wrong with _people_? Why can't they just stay silent instead of voicing their trashy, despicable, infuriating racist comments? Do they feel some sort of need to spread all this _filth_? And not only them, lots of other people were doing it during my and Asya's walk. Every time I heard someone say something like 'monster' or 'freak', I felt like walking up to them and telling what _I_ feel.

The only thing stopping me was Asya – her reaction, to be exact. Every time she would lower her head and raise her black wings, hiding from people's eyes. It cannot be denied that Asya felt nervous at these moments, maybe even scared, and each time this happened, I wanted to tell the aspid to ignore the people and stop hiding herself.

But I just couldn't do it. No matter how I thought about it, the words I wanted to say resembled a cheesy compliment rather than something encouraging, and I just… I just didn't want Asya to see me as some idiot, I guess.

To be fair, though, she did look quite good. Since she didn't have her cardigan on because of the heat, her amazing curves were visible under the sleeveless blouse and a skirt she was wearing. While her breasts and hips are not the biggest, they nevertheless are in a perfect proportion with her slim waist, resulting in quite the eye candy. Even her less human features, like the scaled arms, pointy ears, wings and a snake-like lower body were only adding to the charm the girl had. The fact that I am now living with such a woman under the same roof makes me feel really… excited since, well, you know, I'm a 24 year old male.

As for my choice of clothing, it was nothing special. Blue jeans, black T-shirt and black sneakers. Not the most creative combination, I know, but I didn't look like a clown, at least. I also had the aforementioned backpack, because I was going to stock up on groceries in the nearest hypermarket with Asya, since we ran out of food yesterday, and I wanted my hands to be as free as possible after I did so.

And, like that, taking an occasional swig of sour kvass, I haven't noticed how we made our way to the local university. We were walking past its administrative wing, which was a 3-storey building with grey walls and lots of right angles in its design.

As I walked past it, deep in thought, I suddenly got a feeling, that something was amiss. Looking around myself, I found Asya standing a couple meters behind me and looking attentively at the wall to the left from the entrance, more precisely, at the words "Bryansk State Technical University" spelled with big letters. What surprised me the most was the fact that the girl was so immersed in whatever thoughts were in her head at the moment, that she stopped paying attention to the looks she was receiving from a rare passerby. Curious as to what has caused such a change in her behavior, I walked up to Asya.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I ask, tapping her shoulder. "What are you looking at?"

"A-Alexandr Bulatovich?!" the aspid stuttered at the sudden action, turning to face me with a slight blush appearing on her cheeks. "I, uh, I-I'm just curious about t-this place…"

"What? Should I explain to you what a university is?"

"N-n-no, I've heard what it is; I just want to know more about this one…"

Saying that, she turned away to look at the building's entrance. In the meantime I was studying the girl's expression. It was obvious to me that she was curious to know about my alma mater, but her eyes looked different from before. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I think that the interest she has now is far from being random. Makes me wonder where does it come from, this curiosity of hers.

I was about to ask Asya about the matter, but a sudden itchy feeling made me stop for a second. When I moved my hand to scratch my left shoulder, a large palm had landed on the exact same spot, surprising me a bit. Or should I say "paw"?

"Heya, Sanya!" a deep, but cheerful male voice then said behind my back. "Long time no see, pal!"

"Fucking hell," I exhaled angrily, turning around to look at the person who has startled me. "Listen, Vsemil, you would've been a fucking French bulldog by now if I somehow didn't recognize your voice. Maybe you should try to approach people in a more civil manner?"

"Oh, c'mon, is this how you greet a friend you haven't seen for months?"

With that the assailant let go of me and stepped back, allowing me to take a proper look at him. He was a liminal, and he resembled a human only barely. His whole body was covered in light-brown fur, his legs and head were those of a wolf and behind his back there was a big tail, which swayed slowly from side to side. Basically, he was a wolf, whose only differences from an actual animal were his upright posture and a human-shaped torso and arms, but even then his clawed hands had black pads on their inner side. As for the clothing, he was wearing a red T-shirt and blue shorts.

I sigh, facepalming at my friend's behavior, before a meek voice of a certain aspid interrupts me, "U-um, Alexandr Bulatovich?"

"Ah, sorry, Asya. This is..."

"How rude of me to not introduce myself properly," Vsemil interrupted me, taking my place before Asya, who had immediately enveloped herself with her black wings in a defensive manner. "I'm Okhotnik Vsemil, this here human's friend. I'm a volkolak." He then extended his huge hand towards the girl with a friendly smile, which looked more like him baring his teeth at the prey. It's really hard to tell when this bastard is smiling - it took me a full month to learn to do so.

Either way, Asya looked like she was rather intimidated by the sudden gesture, so I decided to take the introduction in my hands. But, surprisingly, as I was about to step in, she have folded back her wings and shook hands with Vsemil, although there were still traces of hesitation left in the way she did so. "I'm C-Chernova Asya, an aspid…" she said quietly, looking down.

When the girl introduced herself, my friend's round ears suddenly stood up attentively and his yellow eyes narrowed. He then gave us both a strange stare, which I didn't really like. Even his usual smile was gone.

But, before I could even wonder about it, Vsemil let out a snort, putting an arm on his waist. "So, watcha guys doing? Is there a chance for me to join?" he asked in a familiar cheerful manner.

"Well, I've been showing Aya around, since I'm her C.E.P. host and all. I've also wanted to stop by at the hypermarket to buy some provisions," I replied after shaking my head, waving my hand in the general direction of our destination. "As for joining us… Hey, Asya, do you mind this doggie stick around for a bit?" I addressed my black-haired companion, to which she replied with a shake of her head.

"Good, let us move, then!" the volkolak said as he stepped closer and nudged me. "But applying for the Exchange Program, eh? Didn't expect you, of all people, to do this."

Groaning in annoyance, I waved off the bastard's statement and gestured Asya to follow us.

* * *

The walk to the hypermarket took us around 20 minutes, since it's situated rather close to the university. During that time I and Vsemil were discussing the events that have happened to us in the time we didn't see each other. I've told about how I inherited my grandfather's house and applied for the C.E.P. I also didn't forget to mention that I've met Asya only yesterday - just in case my canine friend got any funny thoughts.

As for the wolf, he was re-applying to the university. Yeah, this cheery idiot got himself expelled on his sophomore year while I was dicking around in the army. Don't know how he managed to accomplish this feat, but at least he can enroll in the second year. I've also made sure to tell him that he won't get any help from me. Not for free. I'm an adult who needs money, how can you blame me?

And Asya was following us, listening closely to our friendly bickering. Just like before Vsemil had joined us, she would ask a question occasionally and I would answer, although this time they were about our student years. Told her about the people I've met during that time, the department I was studying at – the good stuff. The girl was surprisingly eager to learn about this and I was happy to satisfy her curiosity.

She was also interested in how I met my canine friend, although I don't think the story was exciting at all. It happened in the beginning of my last year in university. We both ended up in the same club, and Vsemil – a sophomore back then – was looking for help with programming and, of course, I ended up being the one helping him, that's all.

But boy, how much yelling he had to endure back then, as I tried to explain everything to him. Vsemil had the most basic understanding of a computer and his familiarity with programming languages was almost nonexistent. I can't comprehend how someone like him could ever end up at the Information Technologies Department. But he did learn everything he was taught, I'll give him that. Makes me wonder how exactly he got kicked out.

"Well, this is where I leave you both," Vsemil said as we approached the bus stop near the hypermarket. "Gotta go home now."

"Whatever," I sighed, shaking his hand. "So, you're living with your former host family?"

"Yes, I'm renting a room in their house. Thankfully, they're not asking much money."

"Well, good for you, pal. See you later."

"Yeah, see you later, but…" the volkolak said, pulling me closer. "Friendly advise – be careful with that girl," he whispered, nodding his head at Asya.

As my friend did that, I felt my eyebrow rise at how serious his expression was at the moment. His gaze was heavy, and voice - cold. I think it's the first time I've seen him act this way, in fact. 'Well, he sounds like he's genuenly worried, but...' I thought, looking over my shoulder at the girl in question, who was gripping her right arm and looking at passing pedestrians nervously.

No, no matter how I look at her, she doesn't seem like somebody to be careful about. Of course, with her being a half snake with claws, slit pupils and all that, she might look rather intimidating to an average human, but for a fellow liminal to be vary of her? Strange... No no, Vsemil might have his reasons to not trust her. Maybe there's a bad history between their species or something. After all, it's not like liminals don't have racism.

"Well, don't think too much about it, Sanya," Vsemil moved his hand on my shoulder, interrupting my train of thoughts. "After all, you always know if there's danger, right?"

"Yeah, of course," I replied dismissevly, shaking the furry hand off. "Anyhow, you better not miss your ride," I finished, pointing at the space behind the humanoid wolf's back.

"What... Oh crap, that's totally the route I need! Bye then! See you later too, Asya. It was nice to meet you!"

With that, my friend waved his hand at us and quickly rushed over to the white Peugot minibus, jumping inside it mere moments before the door closed. After seeing the vehicle approach the bridge over the Desna River, I faced Asya. "Well now, let's get this done already, Asya. Let's go," I said, throwing the empty bottle in the nearest trash can and urging the aspid to follow me to the hypermarket.

But halfway through the parking lot I've noticed the girl suddenly stop. Turning around, I found her looking up at me with a struggling expression on her face with sky-blue eyes trembling and full of... fear? Pain? Wait, what's happening? Why is she suddenly like that?

"H-hey now, Asya, what's wrong?" I asked, slowly approaching the girl, who looked like she was on the verge of crying.

"A-Alexandr Bulatovich," Asya addresed me in a shaking voice, lowering her gaze to avoid mine. "Are... are you afraid of me?"

"Afraid? N-no, of course I'm not, but-wait. The hell did that come from?!" I asked her back, taken aback by the sudden question.

"Then you must find me disgusting, right? Just like all those people. I've felt their stares; I've heard the bad things they were saying about me; I've-"

"Whoa, whoa, wait. Wait! But what about Vsemil? You had fun talking with him, like, just minutes ago!" I shouted, looking for the right words to calm the shaking girl down. But it seemed to only worsen the matters as Asya raised her slitted eyes to look at me with an expression full of gut-wrenching, pained anger.

"B-but I saw his reaction when we met! He went silent the moment I told him my species' name! And he also said that I can be dangerous to you! I… I've…" Asya screamed back with tears in her eyes before hanging her head. "I knew it… I should've just stayed with my family, like mother-Ahh?!"

At that moment my panicked mind could think of only one way to calm down the crying girl before me – hug her. So I proceeded to do just that, cutting off whatever Asya was saying and pulling her human half in a tight embrace. Her huge black wings spread open as she yelped in surprise, blocking my vision, but I didn't notice that as I was gently stroking the resisting girl's smooth black hair, cursing myself.

How could I let this happen to her, even though all this time I _knew_ that being around other people was too much for her to handle. I've noticed it, understood it! And, despite all this, I chosen to ignore those signs and carry on, pretending everything's alright… If only I've decided to go back home instead of dragging Asya along I wouldn't be having her cry in my shoulder right now.

After a minute she stopped trying to force my arms off herself and the intervals between her sobs became long enough for me to deduce that she had calmed down enough to talk. Taking my hand off her head, but not loosening the embrace, I asked her calmly, "Are you okay now?" As I felt her head rub against my shoulder, which was her nodding, probably, I continued, "Now listen closely, because I'm saying this only once. People may think and say whatever they want about you – bastards like them know nothing better other than badmouth others. The only opinion that should bother you is mine and mine only. And to me you're not a 'monster', not a 'freak', but just a girl." I said, finally letting go of Asya and taking a step back and giving the warmest smile I could muster. "Understood, silly?"

"Y-yes," she nodded, wiping off the tears from under her red eyes with her hand. I sighed in relief at that, only to instantly bend forward and grab my knees tightly as the ground threatend to throw me off itself.

Okay, I've managed to defuse another situation with her, but holy shit am I embarrassed right now! My heart's racing, palms are sweaty, and mind is in chaos. You know, if this keeps happening, I see two possible outcomes: either Asya starts hating me… or I die of a heart attack. It's in my best interests to learn to deal with such situations _before_ they'll have a chance to happen. I was legitimately scared that I've managed to fuck up big time there!

"Are you okay, Alexandr Bulatovich," Asya asked in a worried tone, startling me.

"I-I'm good!" I shouted, hastily turning around to hide my flushed face. "A-ahem!" I cleared my throat. "N-now, since you're okay, I think it's about time we've headed back home."

"B-but didn't you want to-"

"No objections! I'm your host and _I_ decide where we go! And I've decided that we'll go straight back home, where you'll explain what the hell happenned with you!" I shouted, putting up a finger. Taking a few deep breaths to calm down, I then turned my head to face the girl and quietly added, still sounding a bit nervous "O-okay?"

At that Asya had blinked her big blue eyes a couple of times, probably not expecting such an action from me. But then, though, I've noticed a small smile appear on her face as she nodded. "Okay," she said in a much more chipper voice than before.

With that, we both went home with me leading the way through less populated areas of the district, just in case.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES**

 _Expectations up + frustration down._

 _So, uh, more than a month has passed since the last update... Don't have any excuse this time, really. I've been playing games instead of writing, again: The Binding of Isaac (The Antibirth mod, to be exact), The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, Homefront and Borderlands The Pre-sequel. I was also waiting for my "beta reader" to comment on the text. Yeah, I have a "beta reader" of sorts, although none of us is sure if this term is applicable. So, that's another part of the reason why this chapter got delayed this much._

 _Either way, about the chapter. I introduced a new character - Okhotnik Vsemil, who is a volkolak. He's going to be a side character, but I can't say for sure how often he will show up in the story._

 _Basically, in my fanfiction, volkolaks are "furries". You know what I'm talking about. In reality, though, they're just a slavic take on the werewolf. They are either voluntary or involuntary shapeshifters, who take the form of a wolf. "But there are werewolves in the MonMusu canon, why would you add more?" you might ask. Well... Because I wanted to. Besides, it's_ Monster _Musume, so why not push the "monster" pedal a little bit harder? Since, you know, werewolves, kobolds, and their subspecies, in canon, are all relatively human to me. "Hairy humans" in kobold's case and " basically humans with canine limbs" in werewolf's. So why not add furries? After all, there are also those mole-people-things, that are shown in the same chapter as Coolie the vampire. So yeah, I'm adding furries (Not really a fan of those, if you wondered)._

 _We also had a little bit of character building with our heroes. More specifically, Asya is not very good with humans. It's so bad that she broke down crying on her and Alexandr's first trip through the town. I hope that that moment wasn't that bad and out of character for both our heroes. I'll try to make sure that I won't make their personalities into an illogical mess._

 _And there's also another moment which points at the reason of the aspid's participation in the Cultural Exchange..._

 _Ok, enough of me retelling the chapter's contents. This is the last chapter for this year, and I hope that I'll be able to write something before the Orthodox Christmas (It's celebrated on the 7th of January). If not, well... just wait? Either way, leave your reviews, PM me if you want to be more personal about something and throw the mistakes I make at my face, I'll gladly accept your critique. Happy New Year, Holidays, Christmas and whatever else you want to celebrate! This was ChillingComrade. До встречи!_


	4. Their feelings

"So, uh, mind telling me why did you cry back then?" I ask Asya while giving her a mug of tea. The girl in question took the steaming drink from my hands with a 'Thanks', hanging her head in a somewhat apologetic manner.

We were back at my house now, some 30 minutes after that… incident. We made our way back fine, although I took a few wrong turns, resulting in us almost getting lost. That's what you get for navigating through the parts of town you've rarely been at, I guess. Thankfully, I managed to figure out our position by spotting familiar buildings, avoiding embarrassing myself. But there were almost no people, like I wanted, so… mission accomplished.

After getting home I went to the kitchen to make some tea for Asya to calm down, while she stayed in the living room. She didn't make a sound while I was putting the kettle on, sitting on an armchair, emanating an almost physical gloomy atmosphere. Even after I went upstairs for a quick change of clothes she was still there, in the same position: she had her wings folded and pressed to her back, her long black hair was hiding her face and the tip of her snake tail was swaying anxiously.

Seeing this sight made my heart ache, because, to me, such feelings were familiar, painfully so. Being laughed at, ridiculed for the look that just so happens to be different from the standards, set by society, you go somewhere quiet, away from others, and think. Think about why this is happening, why this is happening _to you_ and what can be done. These are not happy thoughts, I know that, and I also know that I don't want to see Asya go through this. I don't want her to think of herself as a freak, to hate herself for being different. And, as a host, it is my responsibility to help my homestays whenever they need. A good start would be to find the reason of her sudden outburst.

After giving the black haired girl her tea, I seated myself on an armchair next to hers, holding a mug of my own. As I took a sip, I watched Asya flick her tongue quickly, after which she raised her head with an interested face. She then put the mug to her lips, taking a few audible gulps, before turning to me and asking, "This tea tastes funny, different from this morning's and yesterday's. What is this?"

"Eh, just some herbal mix, mainly peppermint and motherwort," I answered, shrugging slightly. "Helps to calm down after stress – that's why I'm giving it to you."

"Oh, I see," she said with her lips curling into a small smile. "Thank you," she quietly added, drinking some more tea.

'Heh, 'thank you'. Haven't heard that one in a while, especially from a girl,' I thought, making a few gulps myself. As the beverage went down my throat, with temperature and menthol flavor came a relaxing feeling, which soothed my nerves. I like this stuff, especially after talking with a particularly dumb client.

"Anyway, the question still stands. Why… Why did you start crying back then?" I asked before my thoughts had a chance to go the wrong way. "I mean, I'm not pushing you to answer if you don't want to. But it will certainly help-"

"I don't know…"

"Huh?" Asya's quiet words caught me off-guard, making me look at her. She held her mug tightly with her black scaly hands, the claw on her left thumb scratching anxiously against it. Her stare was focused on the yellowish-green beverage, her saphire eyes barely blinking. Watching at her, I could clearly understand, that it was a hard thing for her to say, but, knowing me, I needed to ask her. I didn't want the trust we had - if there is any - to be ruined by a possible misunderstanding. I don't need any chances. So, with that in mind, I leaned a little bit closer to the aspid, who didn't react at all. "What do you mean by that?"

"...I don't know," she repeated, taking a sip. "I, uh, I just... You see, Alexandr Bulatovich, before me and mother entered the Exchange Program, we lived in the forest, far from the city. Back then, I didn't know much about human lifestyle - only the things my father and brother used to-"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Asya," I cut the girl off, prompting her to raise her head and give me a slightly surprised look. "But you have a brother?"

"Oh, uh, yes. A half-brother, from father's previous marriage," Asya clarified, to which I nodded, scratching my chin. Yeah, that made sense.

Well, I asked that out of curiosity, really. Just to clarify something for myself. Since Asya looks like a lamia subspecies, I was curious to know how could she have a brother, since lamias are all female and don't give birth to males.

…Or so they say. If that one article I read on the Internet is correct, male lamias _do_ exist - the chance of one being born is just extremely low and all of them die at a very young age due to a bouquet of genetical disorders... Nature can be really cruel sometimes, let's just leave it at that.

Either way, it's always interesting to learn more about a girl you're going to live with for the next year, that's not what I am trying to do here. I still need to know the reason for Asya's breakdown. We can talk about her family later. When there's a proper moment.

"Let's return to the issue at hand, Asya," I said, waving my hand dismissingly. While I did that, the aspid hanged her head again. At least she didn't look as depressed as she did earlier, which was some progress, if you ask me.

"Well, as I was saying, my father and brother used to tell me and mother a lot about their daily lives; father told about his work, brother - about school and university. It was so interesting, to learn about the human world..." As she was speaking, I noticed a small smile appear on her face and her voice has become dreamy. Those were good memories for her, this much I could tell. And seeing her like that made me happy too. Watching her lips curl happily, her charming eyes, her lovely face with no trace of sadness. Actually, this is nice - simply watching at her as she tells her story.

...No, no, no, I shouldn't think about it. I must not let all this fluffy bullshit meddle with my reasoning. Only one day has passed – I don't know Asya well enough to justify the comforting feelings I'm having. 'Don't judge the book by it's cover,' as they say. And, even if she's really as good as she looks, the fact that she had become this comfortable with me so fast is... odd.

"...And, well, a month ago, when father had finally- A-Alexandr Bulatovich?" Asya was still telling her story, fidgeting with her black hair, but she had stopped as I rose from my seat, prompting her face's expression change from wistful to confused as she looked up at me.

"Well, I think I get the gist of it, Asya," I said, trying not to look at the girl, focusing my stare on the TV opposite of the armchairs. I just felt that if I look at her, I will lose the train of my thought. "You wanted to learn more about the world your father was telling about, but you didn't expect the people here to be so… hostile, right?" I voiced my conclusion.

"Uh, um... You are... correct," was the answer.

"Then I'm going to remind you - even though I said that I won't - that you shouldn't care what the others say. Just ignore it and, well, you already know the rest. Got that?"

"Yes, but... Is something wrong? Your face is red," the girl rose from her seat, moving closer to me, as I took a step back in reaction. With the loud clattering of the countless sets of tableware inside the cupboard I had hit breaking the silence, she extended her hand catiously. Until her black claws were mere centimeters away from my flushed face, I was only able to look around nervously before finally pushing the hand aside.

While I appreciated the intentions behind this action, I just couldn't accept them. Why? I don't know. Perhaps I was afraid to admit that something strange was happening with me. Maybe I couldn't allow myself to get too comfortable. _I don't understand._

But I needed to leave. To retreat, before anything weird could happen.

And, after all, I've already done what I Intended. I learned about Asya's worries. So yeah, there was nothing left for me to do. For now.

"N-no, I'm okay, Asya, don't worry. Don't," I assured her, stepping away from both the cupboard and the girl. From the worried look in her eyes I realized that she didn't really buy it, but she didn't press the matter further.

"If you say so," Asya replied, nodding slightly. At that point I was about to leave, but seeing her cheeks go red made me stop. She then lowered her head, looking at me with her blue eyes and fidgeting. "Umm, and thank you," she then whispered, almost too quietly to hear.

"For what?" I asked, tilting my head.

"F-for... F-for talking with me... and for hu..." she spoke, only to gradually go completely quiet as her face got redder and redder with each word that left her mouth. When her cheeks turned deep crimson completly except for the black scales, she covered her face with both scaled hands before erupting in a fit of jumbled chatter, "Thanksforcomfortingme, couldyouwashthismugplease, illgotomyroomiamverysorry."

...

Aaaand she's gone. Slithered away, at the speed I never expected from a snake(-like person) of her size. Left me alone to stand in silence, as I hold both of our mugs. Her own she managed to slip in my hands with her tail in the few seconds she spent thanking me.

And it was me who wanted to run.

"Ha-ha-hau, fucking hell," I cursed after a short burst of uncontrolled cackling. "We are both idiots, aren't we?

"That was really cute, though. Can't deny that," I then said silently as I was washing all the dishes that have accumulated during the past day. A small, but an honestly happy smile crossed my face as I noted the doubled amount of plates lying in the sink.

"What _I_ felt just now, though… I need to think about it..."

* * *

"Asya, I'll be out for a while, ok?" Alexandr Bulatovich asked from behind the door. After a few seconds with no answer from me, he added, "Well, I still need to buy the food 'cause we kinda didn't do it before, so I really need to leave. I can't really have you going around with an empty stomach, yeah?"

A muffled 'uhu' was the only thing that I could muster as a reply, as I layed face down on my bed, with my head buried into the pillows. What can I do? I still was too embarrassed to answer my host!

'My host…' I thought, as images of Alexandr Bulatovich started appearing in my mind. He has a build similar to that of my half-brother, maybe a bit higher. His brown hair is short and slightly messy and his posture's slightly hunched. I haven't seen a lot of humans yet, but, even when compared to all the people I've seen so far, I wouldn't call him special.

…Except, maybe, for his eyes. I can't say for sure, but there is something unnatural about them, about their cold, steely color. Seeing them for the first time yesterday, when he was looking over me, made me feel scared. It was as if he could see right through me, down to the deepest parts of me. Even now, after I've spent a night in the same house with him, it was still hard to meet his eyes without a chill going down my back. Maybe if he didn't have such a frown on his face most of the time...

But, even though he didn't look the friendliest, I think that Alexandr Bulatovich is a good person. I felt no ill will from him, and when we went for a walk this morning, he was genuinely pleased with my company. After all, when I could no longer stay calm from all the hostility I was receiving from other people, when I started crying, he came and hugged me. Of course, I didn't expect it and tried to break out of his embrace, but the way he gently held me, his warm arms wrapped around my back and his low, soothing voice… I've only felt this safe when my father used to hug me during the rare times he visited me and mother.

'…Just what is wrong with me?' I wondered as I rolled onto my back, but, due to forgetting to fold my wings, the left one twisted the wrong way, sending a jolt of pain through my back.

"OW!" I shouted, jumping into a sitting position. In that exact moment a crimson blur flew across the room, colliding loudly with a wall. With a gasp of horror I realized that that blur was my suitcase, with all of its contents now lying scattered on the floor and my tail. Toothbrush, collapsible cup, towel, hairbrush, Lego kit – everything has been scattered across the big room. Panicking, I got up from the bed and started hastily picking up the construction set pieces I could see and putting them back in their box, "Oh, please, don't tell me I've lost them! Please, please, please!"

"Hey, what's that noise?! Are you alright?! Do you need my help?!"

"Wha?!" I jumped, caught by surprise by my host's banging on the door, throwing the beams I had in my palm around. "Alexandr Bulatovich?! Didn't you leave?!"

"Uh, only a couple seconds have passed? That's barely enough to reach the stairs."

"O-oh, I s-see," I stuttered, lowering myself back and folding my wings I had spread reflexively. I thought that my host had already gone. But… that's weird how I lost track of time while thinking about him.

...Why do I act like this?

"...Anyway, Asya," Alexandr Bulatovich spoke in a tired voice after a second of silence. "You sound OK, but there's a med kit in the wardrobe, just in case. I'd put a paper there saying what's for what. There's also my number on it. Call me if something happens. Verstehen?"

"Um, uh, yes?" I replied, rising an eyebrow in confusion at the last word he said. Doesn't it mean "understand" or something? I remember hearing it from my brother occasionally, especially when he wanted me to remember something important.

Huh, actually, that's another thing which reminds me of Vitya. Not only looks, but their attitudes were also similar: they might sound grumpy, but are good people nonetheless. Although my brother leaves a more friendly impression, to be honest.

After responding to my host, I heard a 'Gut' come from behind the door, followed by the silent creaking of the floor. After I could no longer hear it, I've returned to collecting my belongings, making sure to look under my tail, since things tend to fall through the gaps between the coils. After a minute, all that was left was a toothbrush I had in hand, wondering if I should put it in the case or bring it to the bathroom. Deciding in favor of the former, I placed the thing in one of the inner pockets of my suitcase and then moved over to the bed.

Lying on it, there was the Lego Technic set I brought along. It was one of my favorites – an orange arctic truck – and I couldn't stop a wide, happy smile from appearing on my face as I looked over the big box. I just love this thing! It's huge, it's got all these moving parts and… and… It's just cool!

"Okay, let's assemble you!" I squealed, jumping onto the mattress and dumping the box's contents near myself.

* * *

After 30 minutes or so I was already done with the frame of the truck, along with the tracks. I could've done it faster, but I've messed up a few times, even having to completely disassemble the thing, which I had to do very carefully, because I didn't want to break any of the beams. Again.

But, other than that, I had a lot of fun doing it, although I did have a feeling that I was forgetting something. Something really important.

'Well, I'll remember later. I need to get something to drink first,' I thought dismissively, getting off the bed and stretching my tired arms and wings. Thankfully, the wings did not hurt, so there was no need to use the med kit. Except there was, now that I remembered.

"Oh, right. I need to write down my host's number. Now… where was it, again? Right, the wardrobe." I mumbled, moving over to the furniture in question. The wardrobe itself was huge, maybe a meter taller than me when I'm not specifically elevating myself, and almost as wide as my wingspan. It was made out of beige LDF panels (that's how they are called, right?) with black accents. Looks well-made and it must be quite expensive.

I searched through the empty insides, finding nothing that would look like a med kit. When I opened the leftmost shelf, though, I've found a big blue box with "Почта России" (A/N: Pochta Rossii/Russian post) written all over it. I pulled it out and opened the lid. Inside, there was a heap of tubes and smaller boxes, which, on closer look, proved to be various pills and salves. On top of it all there was a note with a list of those medicines, with their uses described inside the brackets. And, at the very bottom, there was my host's name with a number next to it.

Taking the paper, I closed the box and put it back on the shelf. Having closed the door, I moved back to my bed and took my phone. Flipping it open, I was about to press the asterisk button, but the sudden call have interrupted me. "Who could this be-Oh. Oh, no!" I muttered, the horror of realizing who was calling growing stronger.

How could I forget something so urgent, how?! I was supposed to phone my family right after I've arrived, but a day has already passed since then and now my father's calling me! I'll get chewed out by him, for sure…

The device has kept vibrating as I took a few moments to muster enough resolve to answer. After a deep breath, I pushed the answer button and steeled myself for the inevitable lecture… With one eye closed, I placed the phone near my ear, "H-Hello, d-dad."

"Thank God, you've finally answered. Do you realize how worried we were, my little snake?"

"Y-yes, dad. I'm sorry."

The voice on the other end belonged to father. I've expected him to be angry, but surprisingly, he sounded simply worried rather than anything else… W-well, of course he would be, but he's rather calm – that's what so unexpected to me.

"Anyway, why didn't you call yesterday, Asya?" my father asked, making me shudder since I had no appropriate answer for him. That's because I had no idea why I've forgotten.

"Um-m, I, uh… I don't know?" I managed to squeeze out after a few seconds of deep thought, moving down the stairs. "I guess I was- Wait, what's happening, dad?" When I was in the living room, I've heard some strange noises coming from my father's side, making me stop and look worriedly at the phone in my hand.

"-ait! Wait, Varya! Stay back! Don't grab my-ASYA! DO YOU HEAR ME?!" I heard my father fighting before a booming female voice came out of the phone and straight into my ear. That was my mother, and, unlike father, she sounded _really_ angry.

Honestly, when I've seen that it was my father calling, I had hoped that I won't have to speak to my mother. I knew that she's the one to be worried the most about me, since she trusts no one outside our family. In fact, she was strongly opposed to the idea of me moving away for the cultural exchange, being too afraid that something could happen to me. Of course, I love my mother and I miss her just as much as she misses me, but I absolutely _need_ this program if I to fulfill my dream.

Having recovered from the sudden shout, I replied, though my ears were still ringing, "Y-yes, mom, I hear you, don't wo-"

"Are you okay?! Those humans did nothing to you?! I swear, if they lay a finger on you, I will..!"

"Mom, don't worry! No one did anything to me! Please, calm down!" I pleaded, shouting over mothers words. But they seemed to not reach her, as the fierce speech was still going.

"Don't be afraid, sweetheart! Just wait – I'll come and personally…"

"Okay, that's about enough, honey."

"But, darling! What if…"

"Varya, as much as I understand what you're feeling right now, I'm 100% sure that you're just making a mountain out of a molehill. So give me my phone back and go to the living room."

"But-"

"Go."

"…Okay."

My mother was about to finish, but, thankfully, it seems that my father have intervened and reclaimed the phone. I don't know what could've happened were it not for his ability to stop mother, who can be rather… _passionate_ , especially if the matter concerns my wellbeing. If he was any different, she would've already gone on a rampage trying to bring me back.

After a few moments of awkward silence I heard a dry chuckle from father, indicating that there was nothing to interrupt our talk. "Ha-ha, sorry, sweetheart. You know how much she loves you. She… she just was too excited, is all," he laughed, to which I replied in kind.

"Hah, yes, I know, dad."

"Anyway, how are you doing? Who is your host?" my father asked in his usual, kind tone. In response, I briefly described Alexandr Bulatovich and the events that had happened since my arrival to Bryansk.

…Except for the hug, because, for some reason, it was too embarrassing to even think about it.

While I did so, I got some water to drink in the kitchen and then moved to the hallway on the first floor, for no particular reason. I was in the middle of telling my opinion on my host while looking at the neighboring houses through the window, when I heard some clicking noises come from the vestibule. After a few seconds the door leading there swung open with a loud bang, revealing Alexandr Bulatovich, who had his right leg raised, with bags full of food in each of his hands as well as a backpack. And, for some reason, he appeared to be in high spirits, judging by the goofy expression on his face.

" _Honey, I'm motherfucking home!_ " (A/N: he's yelling it in English) he shouted something in some strange language before lowering the bags on the floor. "Ha-ha, always wanted to say that. Now on to call Asya and… uh…" As he noticed me standing in the hallway, Alexandr Bulatovich's face had instantaneously changed from joyous to the one of realization. "That call… is important, right?" my host asked after a second.

"…Yes."

"I it related to me?"

"…Yes."

For a long moment the hallway was filled with silence. Alexandr Bulatovich's face gone pale, I was still shocked by his sudden appearance and my father, judging by the silence on his hand, was too. My host then, his expression still terrified, grabbed the bags and quickly made his way past me and into the living room, saying something about expecting me to be in the kitchen the moment I'm done. What's weird is that, despite obviously hurrying, he masterfully evaded tripping over my tail, not touching it even once.

"Was that… your host?" my father spoke, still quite flabbergasted.

"Yes, it was," I confirmed in the same manner.

"Is he always like that?"

"No, it's the first time I've seen him act like that."

Frankly, for a moment there I thought that there was something wrong with my host, as it was quite a big difference from how I've thought my host to be. What made him so happy that he would kick open the door?

"Well, this Alexandr of yours sounds like a nice guy, eh?" father asked mockingly after a snicker.

"What? He's not mine!" I fired back, embarrassed by the assumption. Weirdly, having my host being called actually mine was also embarrassing. "But yes, dad, he is a good person," I then in a low voice, not wanting Alexandr Bulatovich to hear.

"And? Do you think you'll like living with him? Just so you know, you'll both have to spend at least a year together. Are you sure you don't want to come back?"

"No, I don't want to. And, while I don't know him that well yet, I think I already like staying with him."

"Hmm, good, your words please me. Well then, be happy together!" father said with a hearty laughter.

"Dad, why do you always-! Oh, he hung up."

With my father's giggling got replaced with beeping of an ended call, I've closed my flip-phone, feeling a vein pop up on my forehead.

Jeez, why do all people I'm comfortable with like to tease me so much! Even Alexandr Bulatovich has done it already!

But, aside from that, I truly mean it when I say that I don't want to come back home. Even though I may still be scared by my host's demeanor, I still want to be his homestay.

With a smile on my face I turned around and moved to the kitchen, curious to know what I was called there for.

* * *

 _A/N: I AM ALIIIIIIVE!_

 _Okay, to keep things short here: Factorio, Serious Sam 2 &3, ShellShock Live, TIS-100, Mother Russia Bleeds, university exams and general laziness. Sorry for the long delay._

 _So, this chapter is also about characterisation - Asya's, primarily. We've learned a bit about how she lived before the Cultural Exchange, her family and what she thinks about the last chapter's events and her host. Let's break it down._

 _First is her life. She used to live in a forest with her mother with the human side of the family occasionally visititing them. Through those visits she have learned some things about the human lifestyle, but not a whole lot. Also, I think you've noticed that she loves Lego. And yes, I'm being serious here. I think it's safe to say that the majority of female characters will have at least one hobby not widely considered feminine. Well, at least I think that that's the case with Lego. Why I'm doing this? Because I want it to be so._

 _Second are our heroes' feelings about each other. While there's already something going on in their heads, I would not say that this is any "love". You see, I don't want it to go like "here's a man, here's a woman, they've only met each other but they already want to fuck". I think that I've made it obvious enough in the story, but I'll put it more bluntly here, just in case: Sasha is trying to keep whatever feelings he has from going any further, while Asya just trusts her host more. That's it, nothing more._

 _And one little extra thing. The families of our heroes_ **will** _be relevant, to one extent or another, so no absent-for-no-reason parents here._

 _Umm, yeah, I think that's- oh, yeah. Is anyone here willing to help me a little with the story? You know, just standart beta-reader stuff: spellchecking, coming up with different ways to phrase bits of text (this part is important), suggesting ideas. Well, it's no secret that I'm a_ really _slow writer, but your help could make things better!_

 _...Maybe. Anyway, PM me if you're interested._

 _And that's about it, folks. As per usual, leave your reviews, suggestions, criticism and whatnot. Thanks for reading, this was ChillingComrade, who, ironically, is getting chilly. Although it's not_ that _cold in Bryansk right now; -10 Celsius at most._

 _До встречи!_


	5. Extra: A scientist's diary

15.10.1981

So I'm back in Krasnodar-3 again; back in this so-called "freak town". Don't mean anything bad about its residents, but it's pointless to deny that they are different, especially to me, whose job is to cut them apart and study their innards. And, trust me; sometimes they're even weirder on the inside than on the outside.

Take today's subject, for instance - a monoeye, as they call themselves - has only one eye. And no, they're not cyclops - I've already made that mistake. Cyclops and monoeyes are like asians and whites – different races of one species. Or, if I'm to go by the higher-ups' standards, subspecies.

Do we really have to use such a derogatory term?

But, regardless of how I call them, at least my work helps to make the lives of demihumans better, so I don't think I should care about that.

Anyway, about the monoeye. The one I was studying was another murder victim - a werewolf killed him. When I saw the body, the first thing to get my attention was a nasty cut from the left shoulder and all the way down to the right hip. If that was not enough evidence of demihumans' great capability for killing, than what I saw after performing an autopsy has further solidified my fears: the ribcage was shattered, with pieces of bone puncturing the lungs and the heart, the stomach was cut open and intestines became mincemeat, basically. If I haven't gotten used to this by now, I would've thrown up the moment I saw the body. I don't even want to think about the reasons behind such an atrocity.

On further study I found the monoeye to be no different from a regular human. Heart's the same, lungs, digestive tract, genitals - he was just like any ordinary human in that aspect.

Monoeyes' biggest differences lie inside their heads. First of all, they are bigger. The one I happened to lay my hands on, for example, had the head breadth of 210 mm, which was 50 mm more than mine. It is not surprising, seeing how their eyes are several times bigger than human's. Every other aspect of their skulls is also bigger with the single orbit positioned slightly above the nose.

But even that's not the most amazing part. Their brains, on the other hand, are. The frontal lobe is crescent-shaped, giving the space needed for the eye to fit. It makes this particular part smaller compared to human, but, somehow, this does not affect monoeyes at all. One would think that it will inevitably make them inferior intellectually, but no! I've seen quite a few of those one-eyed folks and some of them are even smarter than my colleagues. Fascinating.

But that also begs the question of how exactly these changes could occur. Could this be some sort of cyclopia, which happened to be non-lethal? Or was it an effect of someone's conscious manipulation? And, if so, who did it? Who had the tools?

Anyway, that's all the time I have for today. I have to finish my report and then I'll have to write a letter home. My son's turning 11 soon and I don't think I'll make it in time for the celebration.

* * *

 _A/N: So, this is something I wanted to do for a while. This is the first chapter of the series of extras, in which I'll try to "scientifically" explain the liminals' anatomy. Of course I'm not going to do it_ _thoroughly, hence the reason for the diary thing. Of course there's much more to it than simple "science", but those things I will make as subtle as I can._

 _So that's it. How about you suggest me more liminals to describe? But keep them European, please._

 _Oh, and you might have noticed that "Humor" was replaced with "General". That is a failsafe in case the story turns out not quite comedic. That doesn't mean that I will stop making jokes, but be warned._

 _Anyway, see you in the next chapter. This was ChillingComrade. До встречи!_


	6. Laws and hidden problems

"U-u-ugh," I groaned dejectedly, hanging my head over the empty plate. "Why? Why did I have to come back right when you were discussing me with your family?" This moping of mine has drawn the attention of a certain winged half-snake, who was stuffing her mouth full of food, stopping only when she had turned her head to me. She looked at me with an apologetic expression, which would be quite impressive if only she didn't look like a hamster with those puffed cheeks. A cute hamster, although that only makes things worse.

"Aleshandr Bfulashovich, von't vur-"Asya spoke, but I interrupted her by raising a hand in front of her face.

"Don't eat and talk at the same time," I said sternly, rising my head to look at her. "If you want to talk, you swallow your food first, okay?" Seriously, even if she doesn't know the proper manners, she could've at least come to the logical conclusion that a full mouth does not facilitate clear speaking. But it was clear to me that she wanted me to stop worrying. At least I think that's the message behind her efforts.

"Shorry," she loudly chewed and swallowed her food. Then Asya started smiling all of a sudden and put a scaled arm to her face in an expression of bliss, as if she was enjoying some god-like dish. She was also trembling quite a lot while moaning rather… suggestively. The whole situation was oddly sexy, reminiscent of that one cooking manga I've heard about. I mean, this kind of reaction is flattering and all, but she could've shown her satisfaction in a more child-friendly manner.

As she was doing that, I caught myself remembering the women I've ever seen up to this moment and comparing them with my homestay. Don't know why, but, for some reason, the memories of rare cases of me interacting with the opposite gender resurfaced. They were rarely pleasant and never romantic, but enough to learn roughly about those people. And the more images of the past flashed by, the stronger the fury within me grew, until everything before me seemed to disappear. I hate to remember all of this, but why can't I sto-

"-vich. Alexandr Bulatovich! What's wrong?!" My consciousness was brought back by the panicked shouting of Asya and the feeling of something cool wrapping my wrist. That feeling was the aspid's hand, the black scales barely reflecting any light. I then traced the exotic skin all the way up to the owner, whose owner had her face barely a few centimeters away from mine.

God, that face. I have never seen a face as pretty as this. Fair skin, which looked charmingly smooth; cute little scales on the cheeks; pretty lips, slightly parted to let out the nervous breaths; big sapphire eyes darting all over me – all of this was framed by the locks of long, shiny black hair. Looking at Asya's worried expression I couldn't say a thing, as I felt my- wait, what am doing so suddenly?!

"Whoa!" I shouted, recoiling away from the girl, flailing my arms around immediately after to keep balance on the stool. That failed spectacularly and I felt how I started falling backwards. I closed my eyes hard in anticipation of the impact, but instead of the hard floor I felt something… not quite hard. The surface I fell on was soft but with a rough texture, which was rather nice, scratching my back through the thin fabric of the shirt. I have immediately recognized the feeling and, surely, after opening my eyes and looking around I found myself sprawled on Asya's serpentine half.

How many times did I get myself into a similar situation today? This is both hilarious and infuriating, both emotions coming from a single fact – I keep and keep messing up throughout the whole fucking day! The last time I acted like this was… I never acted like this. Ever!

'Just what is _wrong_ with me today? Why am I being such an idiot all of a sudden?' I cursed myself, all the while growling angrily and holding a palm up to my face. Needless to say, I was very embarrassed. So much so that I felt like falling through the ground. Swinging the arm aside, I rolled over on my stomach and pushed myself up. Then I then set the stool I was sitting on earlier on its legs and, finally, turned to Asya. She had a worried expression, the sight of which made my heart sink even further than it already was.

I made her feel bad again.

"Sorry, I just, uh, remembered something bad," I said reassuringly to the girl, answering to the unspoken question. "I tend to zone out a bit from time to time, but I'm used to it, so don't worry."

"I… I see," she lowered her head, not looking relieved at all. "It's just that you looked so angry and I was worried that I may have somehow caused it…"

"Oh, don't go blaming yourself for it, now! See, I'm fine!" I cheered, smiling wide as Asya raised her eyes at me. The last thing I want is for her to blame herself for my own problems. To further emphasize my point, I even flexed my arms a couple of times in an exaggerated manner. This made me look like an idiot again, but it was a deliberate act, so I didn't care all that much.

Though it seemed that I have been carried away, seeing how I started acting even more over-the-top, making sounds like "Hnghh!", "Graagh!" and "Oh, yeah!" It was kind of fun and I kept at it right until the moment Asya started laughing. And it wasn't the cute, girly giggle, no – she was guffawing loudly, bent over on the stool and clutching her stomach. Her wings were twitching in time with the ragged breathing, as did the tail. In any other situation I would be infuriated by such behavior directed at me, but the way this girl did it was too innocent to be provoke anger, so I just smiled along until my gaze fell on the empty plates, with the remains of cutlets and mashed potatoes on them, and the half-finished bowl of crab salad.

"Ahem," I cleared my throat to draw the attention of the laughing aspid, to no avail. Then I did the same thing a bit louder. No reaction. A bit _more_ louder and still nothing. Then I cleared my throat so hard that I've started actually coughing, which had finally got her attention. She looked up at me and her face has turned so red that even boiled crayfish would look alive in comparison. She then opened and closed her mouth a few times, looking around in panic, until I put my hand up after recovering from the coughing fit.

"Once again, don't worry. After all, making you laugh was my goal," I told reassuringly. "Now take your plate and bring it to the sink, please," I asked to let Asya channel her thoughts in a less depressing direction. With a nod and a bleak "okay" she put the fork on the plate and took it to the kitchen, moving over her own body. I trailed her movements, especially her plaid skirt, as its hem swung from side to side along with the girl's hips.

Did I mention that Asya has a kick-ass figure yet? Well, even if I did, I'm more than willing to repeat myself since this is how thing really are – Asya _is_ beautiful, and I don't like lying. Although the mere thought of actually saying it aloud embarrasses me and I did not just have any strange thoughts about the girl standing in the kitchen right now! …Okay, maybe I did, but for an entirely different reason! And the best way to get rid of those thoughts is to watch some lamia porn before going to sleep. For now, though, I should calm down and finally get the dishes to the kitchen.

Taking the salad along, I gave the plate to Asya, with whom I agreed to take turns washing the dishes and hers is today. I, in turn, put the big bowl down on the countertop and opened one of the drawers, looking for some plastic wrap to cover the salad with. Sadly, I found nothing but emptiness there, so I opened the one under it. Then the one under that one. Then the one under _that one_. 'For fuck's sake,' I cursed inwardly, starting to see the pattern. 'Where's this fucking wrap? I definitely put it in here…'

I stood up and angrily slammed the empty drawer close with my foot, startling Asya with the loud noise, which was then followed by the clatter of the plate being dropped. I turned my head to the right and saw the aspid in question grip the sponge so hard the foam was dripping down from her scaled hand. "Uhm, are you alright?" she asked, squinting her eyes in confusion, to which I growled before answering.

"Nah, I'm fine. It just looks that I'll have to look through all of this stuff," I grumbled, annoyed by the madness that was the amount of storage place in the kitchen.

Seriously, gramps, what were you thinking when building this house? I know you probably would, but did you expect a giant to live here or something? Well, at least it's big enough so that I and Asya have no problems being in the same room. But come on, why so many goddamn cupboards; you could fit the whole fucking Dyatkovo Lead Crystal Museum in there and you'll still have enough space for the iconostasis.

And I guess that I have no choice but to search through all of this. Seriously, where did I put the- Oh, hello there, roll of plastic wrap that has somehow ended up on top of the wall-mounted cupboard above Asya, fancy meeting you here! Was I drunk when I put you there? How do I get you down from there, though? I should probably bring the ladder. No, Asya's body might get in the way… Actually, why go anywhere when one of us can freely change their height?

"Asya, could you get that, please?" I inquired, once more distracting the girl from the plates. She faced me with a questioning expression as I nodded at the silvery roll above her head. The aspid stared silently at it for a second, her blue eyes darting left and right, like she was thinking really hard. Then she nodded confidently – the first time so far, actually – and I watched her carry out my demand.

Honestly, I wasn't able to keep myself from looking in amazement at Asya's human half lifting up. She kept rising until her belly was at one level with the counters' top.

I was speechless. I knew that lamias could do such things and there's plenty of videos out there, but seeing it in real life, right next to me is on a whole different level of exciting. And Asya did it with such grace and ease that it was just… just woah!

I remained in that position – head tilted up and mouth agape – until Asya took the roll of wrap and addressed me, looking down from her position. "Um, did you mean this, Alexandr Bulatovich?" she asked, showing me the roll.

"U-uh, Y-yeah, t-that one," I stammered in response, hastily turning away from the girl as I found her crotch right in front of me. That, and my face went red when I realized that I might have stared at her a tad too long. I mean Asya, not her crotch.

After clearing my mind with a couple of coughs, I turned back to the aspid, who has lowered herself back so that our eyes were on the same level.

"Thanks," I murmured quietly, taking the plastic wrap from her.

"No problem," she responded with a nod and a smile. Asya returned to her task, while it took a couple of extra seconds for me to collect myself and return to mine.

We were done in a couple in minutes, with Asya taking a bit longer to wash the dishes. Don't take me wrong, I appreciate the diligence with which she did it, but it has reached the point where I had to physically stop her, afraid that she will scrub a hole through the ceramic. Nothing of notice happened otherwise, although that little moment has granted me another apology from the embarrassed aspid.

"I'm sorry, Alexandr Bulatovich. I just saw something shining strangely and I thought that it may be grease…" Asya said, hanging her head and twiddling her thumbs sheepishly as we returned into the living room.

"Don't worry, it's just the paint," I explained plainly. "Seriously, don't apologize for every little thing. It's only natural to make mistakes – especially in an unfamiliar environment. So don't sweat it."

"I'm sorry…"

Yeah, it'll take a while to deal with this attitude of hers. "Anyway, how did you like the food?" I took a seat in the armchair, picking up the remote and turning the TV on to create some background noise. I'll be honest – I was asking that question in a rather indifferent manner, because my mind was occupied with pondering about what to do next, so I wasn't going to pay any attention to anything. But the serious manner in which Asya answered made me redirect my attention to her.

The girl's face has instantly brightened, with her blue eyes almost literally sparkling. "Yes, it was very delicious, I haven't eaten something this delicious in a long time!" she exclaimed, sitting on an armchair next to me. "Especially the crab salad – I didn't know it's this delicious!" Suddenly, Asya has leaned so close to me that I could feel her breath tickle my nose. I recoiled back from the aspid, looking around nervously, trying to recover from the slight shock.

"Y-yeah, I-it's nice that you liked it…" I stammered. "A-after all, it's your first time eating it, if I remember correctly?"

"Yes!"

"A-anyway, could you not be this close? You're kinda right in my face…" I reminded Asya, looking her right in the eyes. She blinked blankly a few times until the moment her face became beet red. She then jolted back herself with an expression of pure embarrassment.

"I-I'm sorry, I… I just… I…" she shook her head furiously, sending her hair flying everywhere, before lowering her eyes and mumbling, "Really, I just haven't eating nothing good for a- ah, no, I don't mean that yesterday's food was bad, but…"

"I get, I get it. Calm down, Asya, there's no need to apologize," I told the panicking girl as calmly as I could. Seriously, this girl is too self-conscious about things. "Listen, are you sure that you will be alright? After all, besides the cutlets and the quail's eggs, everything else was made out of vegetables. Won't your stomach hurt or something?" I changed the subject, partly to get rid of embarrassment and partly because that question was genuinely worrying to me.

Upon my inquiry, Asya raised he face at me, her blush not gone, but not as furious. "Um, I'll be fine? Didn't I tell that already, Alexandr Bulatovich?" she tilted her head to the side, looking at me with a perplexed expression as if I asked her something obvious. I cleared my throat and told what was on my mind.

"I mean, aren't you a lamia subspecies, Asya? I might be wrong, but judging by what I've read on the internet, your kind is supposed to be carnivorous. I remember that you didn't object when I told you what I was going to cook, but still, I don't want you to get a poisoning because of my carelessness," I explained to the girl all the while looking right at her face with a serious look. Yes, I do realize that it's too late to ask this sort of questions, but I need know how alert I should be.

What's strange is that, while I did read a lot about the most common liminals, I never found even the tiniest snippet of info about Asya's species. All conclusions I've made thus far are based entirely on my knowledge of myths and the assumption that aspids are related to lamias. And it's in the country that, according to TV, is supposed to be the leading force in liminal research.

As I was deep in thought, Asya's face changed from surprised to that of understanding. She shook her head and smiled slightly, "Don't worry - I'm completely fine eating vegetables, fruits, berries and mushrooms. To be honest, I actually really like cucumbers," she admitted, scratching the back of her head with a soft giggle. I couldn't help but smile a bit myself at how honest she was.

But that's interesting… Might she be an omnivore? If that's true, then I might save some money on food, since meat is not the cheapest of foods. I'll still need to buy more food in general, since big bodies require more nutrients for sustenance, but it shouldn't be that much of a problem…Wait, I've already signed up for hosting multiple liminals… Shit. Okay, does Asya hibernate, too? Well, all the rooms have decent heating, so I won't have to deal with a comatose lamia, but… I don't know how it might affect her health. I might need to read up on reptilian liminals in depth…

"Umm, can I ask something, Alexandr Bulatovich?" Asya's hesitant voice brought me back to reality.

"Sure, fire away," I said, scratching my chin as I looked at the fidgeting girl before me.

"Umm, can you tell me, what's a la-*RING*"

Sadly, Asya was interrupted by the doorbell's loud ringing. The girl flinched at the sudden sound, while I looked in the direction of its source with a scowl.' And here I was hoping for a nice, informative conversation,' I looked at the still-working TV, checking the time. Yeah, I should definitely go and open the door.

"Asya," I said, turning off the TV and getting up with a grunt, "could you bring your identification?"

"Sure, but… were you expecting someone to come?" the girl wondered as I moved past her, making me look at her. There was a bit of unease in those blue eyes of hers, reminding me of the fact that she's uncomfortable around people, with an exception of me. If she's not forcing herself, that is…

"Uh, yeah, I did," I said calmly, nodding in the direction of the front door. "Don't worry, though – we're just going to fill out some papers to finally formalize you as my homestay. Now, go. I'd rather make it quick."

"O-okay." With a somewhat shaky nod Asya got up from her seat while I went to get the door.

"So, one more time: what are your duties as a host family?" a nondescript woman, who looked to be in her fifties, asked me as we both stood in the vestibule near the open front door. She stared at me with apathetic eyes that told me to 'stop wasting time and speak up already'. In return, I gave the woman an equal look, the memories of the most boring and emotionless interrogation still fresh in my mind. Sighing, I crossed my arms on my chest.

"As a host family I can't abuse my homestays both physically and psychologically, I must teach them our culture, while respecting and learning about their own and I can't let them leave the house alone," I answered, waiting for the inspector's response.

"Yes, that's about right," she nodded her head. "Okay, I will be visiting you twice a month, starting September. I'll also be bringing you your stipend each first visit. And, finally, your next homestay should arrive in a week," the inspector finished, waiting for my response. I just shrugged, having nothing much to say, except for some sarcastic remarks that I'd rather keep to myself. Seriously, the woman here is not a person to complain about the exchange program to.

With that, we exchanged goodbyes and I closed the door after the inspector. I then returned to the living room, where I found Asya back on an armchair with the remote in her clawed hand, clicking through the channels with the face of a person, who had long ago given up on finding anything interesting – the face I make all the time.

"I would try REN TV if I were you, Asya," I announced my presence to the girl as I passed between her and the screen, taking a laptop that was on the TV stand. "They should be talking about conspiracy theories right now, so, if you want a good laugh…" I added, taking a seat behind the dining table and lifting the laptop's lid. I turned the thing on and, waiting for it to start, turned to Asya, who had tilted her head and faced me with a curious look.

"Conspiracy theory? Is someone conspiring something?" she asked in a confused voice. The way she held a claw on her chin made me let out a quiet snicker as I shook my head slowly from side to side.

"Of course not, Asya," I said reassuringly, glancing briefly at the laptop's screen and launching Google Chrome. Switching to Gmail, I returned my attention to Asya and continued my explanation. "The people at REN TV just _love_ talking about how American capitalist pigs sleep and dream of Russia's total eradication; how they sell us poisoned food and corrupt our youth with video games and anime; how they are constantly trying to start a revolution against our glorious leader's rule!" I finished my speech, which I was giving like an over-the-top orator, voice and all.

I stood before the dumbfounded Asya, one hand placed over my heart and the other one stretched out into the air. She had that "what the hell is going on" look on her face as she stared silently at me panting heavily. After a second of silence she nodded slowly and turned back to the screen.

"O-okay, I'll make sure to… check that channel out," she said slowly as I lowered myself back onto the stool. It creaked loudly, as if to emphasize the embarrassment I felt at the moment.

'Well this was unnecessarily dumb,' I thought while scrolling through the unread e-mails, finding nothing of any significance. Sighing, I closed the browser and opened Steam, hoping to maybe find some good games on sale. While I was doing that, I decided to break the silence – working TV not counting – by talking to my homestay. Thankfully, there was something I wanted to ask her since the inspector had left.

"Say, Asya," I addressed the girl, making her turn away from the TV, which was showing REN TV, unsurprisingly. "Why exactly did you choose Bryansk? I'm not saying that the universities here are bad, but they're definitely not the best in the country. Why didn't go to Moscow, for example?"

The reason I'm asking her this is because, while talking with the inspector earlier, Asya has stated that her reason for taking part in the C.E.P. is to get a university degree. And when I remembered the expression she had when passing by said establishment, it was a no brainer to put the pieces together.

Getting a degree is an admirable goal to have, if you ask me, especially considering the fact that, as far as I know, most of the lamias apply only to find human males to turn into communal husbands for their tribes. If one such lamia would come to my house, I would kick her out immediately, no questions asked, because a) I hate being viewed as nothing more than a sex object, and b) I prefer consensual sex, thank you very much. Thankfully, this girl here I'm hosting seems to be different. I hope.

"W-well…" Asya stammered, twirling her black hair with a timidly expression. "My father recommended it to me, since he graduated from there…"

"Oh, really? Interesting," I raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised by the aspid's words. "And what exactly do you plan to study there?" I inquired, now fully intent on learning more about her decision.

"Mechanical engineering," Asya smiled shyly, lowering her head slightly. "Or anything that has to do with cars, really…" As she was speaking, I had my hand on my chin, scratching it thoughtfully.

"Yeah, having a goal is good and all, but will you be able to get into BSTU?" I asked, remembering a certain bastard getting his furry ass expelled. "After all, there are entrance exams you'll have to take next year, so I hope- wait, why are you looking away?"

When I mentioned the exams, Asya fallen silent all of the sudden, hanging her head even lower, to the point where her face was completely hidden behind the shiny black hair. Nervous giggling soon followed, and, when I leaned harder on the table to get a better look at the girl's face, barely avoiding crushing my laptop, she threw an abrupt gaze my way before turning in the opposite direction and covering herself with a wing. I've only managed to see her flustered cheeks in those milliseconds and, needless to say, such behavior made me suspicious instantly.

"Okay, what are you hiding, Asya?" I demanded in an authoritative tone.

"N-nothing, A-Alexandr Bulatovich…" the girl responded weakly, turning away even more.

"Is that so? Honestly, this is not how people act when they have nothing to hide," I pressed further, staring intently at Asya's back.

Now, don't think that I didn't notice how uncomfortable the aspid was with my questions. I was genuinely worried by her acting and I wanted to discuss the matter now to avoid any irreparable consequences later, but seeing her squirm and tremble under the pressure has dissuaded me from prying. I was about to apologize for my actions and drop the subject, but got interrupted by Asya's loud sigh. Then she lowered her wing and slowly turned back to me, though still hanging her head low, but at least I was able to see her face now. Her cheeks were burning red as she bit her lip and her eyes were looking sideways. She put her hands on the armrest and gripped it so hard, that I heard the fabric tear under the pressure of the girl's big, black claws. She was obviously struggling, so I just sat and waited for her actions.

After a few long seconds Asya has finally spoke up. "U-um, I… I'm really sorry, I don't… I don't want to be a bother to you, Alexandr Bulatovich, but…" the girl stuttered out, releasing the pressure on the armchair slightly. She then took a deep breath and raised her troubled blue eyes at me. Though, when I looked back at her, she averted her gaze instantaneously.

"Listen, Asya, if there's something bothering you, I think you should say it," I addressed her, trying to speak in a calming manner. "It'll be easier for the both of us. If you need help or just worried – at least I'll listen," I offered to Asya, looking straight in her trembling eyes. "Although, if you don't want to talk about it, I'll understand…"

"Is that… really okay?" Asya asked timidly, finally turning her gaze to me, "To ask you for help?"

"Of course it is. After all, I'm your host – it's my responsibility to help my homestays," I smiled at the girl. That seemed to finally ease up her anxiety, seeing how she let go of the armrest and relaxed her expression. "So, what's bothering you?"

"Thank you…" Asya said quietly, running a hand through her hair. After a second, she continued with a much more confident manner, "Alexandr Bulatovich, I… I need a tutor to study for the exams."

"I see…"

Can't say I didn't expect Asya to say something like this. After all, I highly – and I mean _highly_ – doubt that she could've received education on an average human's level. I'm not saying that she's dumb, of course – I never would – but I've yet to see a school in the middle of a forest.

"By the way, what subjects do you need to study?" I asked, returning my attention to Steam since there was no more tension left in the air. There was nothing worth of interest, besides a few 2D sandboxes, which I added to wishlist, and I opened my library to see if there are any games I can play. Looking through the long list of games gave me a stupid, but potentially fun, idea.

"Umm, I need to study up on Russian, mathematics and physics," Asya listed, counting the subjects on her fingers. But yeah, that's a lot of learning to do, and I don't even know how much she knows now. There's still a year or so until the exams, so we have plenty of time to do something about this.

"Well, I'll ask my father if he can help us with tutoring," I said, making a mental note to myself to call dad later. I then leaned back on my stool and looked at Asya, who has returned to watching REN TV, where they were showing off some new APC developed for our army, capable of transporting liminals, not forgetting to mention how it's years ahead of anything NATO has, of course. Ugh.

"Listen, Asya, are you really going to watch this?" I asked with clear contempt in my voice. The last thing I need is for this girl to experience the blatant and tasteless propaganda our mass media loves broadcasting. This shit is best watched with a certain amount of sarcasm to avoid being influenced by the stupidity.

"But wasn't it your recommendation?" Asya asked back, tilting her head a bit to the side with a questioning look.

"I was joking, of course. When I told you to watch REN TV, I've actually meant that you should stay as far away from it as possible." I explained to her, "Especially if you consider yourself to be intelligent."

"I-If you say so…" she stuttered, turning the TV off, which made me feel bad, since it looked like I was manipulating the poor girl. She then put both her hands on her tail and started looking around the room, looking for something to do. In that moment I've sighed heavily, which got Asya's attention, and turned my laptop so she could see its screen.

"Say, since we have nothing to do for the rest of the day, how about playing some games?"

* * *

 _A/N: Ah, fuck it, I'm posting this._

 _I am NOT dead. I was just waiting for my beta's response, but he was taking a bit too long, so I decided to post this chapter anyway. It's a good thing I have two beta-readers._

 _So, this chapter was about MORE world and character building. MC has some issues, laws of Russian C.E.P., blah-blah-blah. You've read the chapter. Also a bit of regime bashing on my side. I know. I'm political._

 _Should I tell you what to expect for the next chapter? Well, it's going to be different. It won't be about our main characters, however it won't be an extra, either, so look forward to that. Not telling you more._

 _Also, wow, 3000 views. I mean, I'm flattered, but scared at the same time - scared of srewing up. I'm afraid that my story won't live up to your expectations, but I''ll try to make sure it will._

 _Answers to some questions:_

darkistorrik _: Meh, I dunno. Posting this fanfic on a Russian site would be equal to someone uploding a fanfic about liminals in America to this place, and I don't really see any point in that. Besides, I'll have to translate this thing into Russian, and I'd rather NOT read my work again. I'm wanting to kill myself hard enough as it is._

Ray nightshade _: Also dunno. Baba Yaga is an interesting character, don't get me wrong, but I don't think it's possible to create a race of liminals based on her. I mean, she's basically a human with some magic powers and a bad case of eating babies. Point is, I'm not making any promises of making an actual character based on her. But I'll consider the possibility._

 _Finally, there are some people I need to whom I need to express my gratitude. pyrojack25, thank you for beta-reading and listening to my ideas. Your input is really important. ChallengerDeep, thanks for your HUGE help with the language. Look forward to even more questions, huehue. There's also a certain russian(?) I'd like to thank for beta-reading, but I'm not sure wether he reads_ this _._

 _Okay, that's about it for today. Do the usual, throw mistakes in my face and stay cool. This was ChillingComrade. До следующего раза! Если он будет, конечно..._


	7. AN UPDATE NOT THE STORY CHAPTER!

First of all, this is not a new chapter and I'm terribly sorry for that. I apologize for making you excited over something you won't be reading right now. But do not worry, I'm _**NOT**_ here to tell you that I'm abandoning this story, hell no. I'm determined like never before to complete this story. This is actually an update of sorts on my progress.

First of all, I haven't been able to even begin writing this chapter until, maybe, a week before. Writer's block or something else, I just wasn't able to come up with an outline of this chapter. I've been changing characters I wanted to introduce, environment and so on and so forth. Gladly, everything is looking solid on my end and I am in the process of actively writing a new chapter. *COUGH*andplayingwarframe*COUGH*

I can't tell you when I'll be done, but you've probably already realized I'm slow as _fuck_.

So, insted of a chapter, I thought about answering a few questions you've asked while I'm at it.

6S6D6: Dude, I don't know what exactly did you mean by "slow", but you hit the spot either way. Aside from my update schedule, I have no idea about pacing. At the same time, I don't want to neither rush things, nor to drag them out. So I've decided to trust my gut on this one.

Sexy stuff is coming, considering the universe I'm working with here, but it won't be as abundant as in the manga. You could say that I'm dissapointed in it, even. I think it started around chapter 58, (A POSSIBLE SPOLIER!) when Rachnee was interviewing potential hosts.

 _Exucuse me, Okayado-sensei, but don't you think that selecting hosts based on their fetishes is a bit retarted?!_ It's even **_Rachnee_** , of all liminals, who's doing it. I understand that it's an ecchi manga, but for fuck's sake, some real-world common sense is needed even here. She's, essentially, allowing fetish-driven, potential sexual assaulters into the Exchange Program! This makes me angry to no end!

So yeah, less "plot" and more... uh... plot. *COUGH* ialsomayormaynotprefersmallchests*COUGH*

Lastly, I'm considering adding a slime monster here, and also something Doppel-like. In case of the former, I especially want to write a character that is similar to Doppel in some way, and, if I get to it and execute it right, it'll be pretty cool. But don't get your hopes up too high. Just in case.

Seriously.

Don't.

Ginseng Kalbern: Define "political". If the influence of socio-economic situation in current Russia on liminals is considered "political", then, well, you know how you'll feel. I'm absolutely not an expert in all of this stuff, but the lack of such conflict in the source manga is something I also don't like. And this topic just seems interesting to tackle for me, to be honest. Not promising anything, as I've said before - just something I'm considering. But, at least, there'll be jabs at our incompetent government. I just hope FSB won't arrest me for it...

And you are not the only one who doesn't like dense protagonist. I mean, actual romantic conflict is much more interesting than constant teasing and boob-grabbing.

RP: Woo-hoo, this is gonna be a lengthy answer.

First of all, what did you expect? Japanese honorifics? Of course Asya calling her host the way she does is a Russian custom. It's just the basic way of formal address here.

Also, a correction: MC's full name would be "Dobrov Alexandr Bulatovich". One part too many, don't you think? Well, that's because we have patronimics here, which are basically middle names, except they are actually important. In Alexandr's case, his patronimic would be "Bulatovich", derived from the name "Bulat". Like I said before, addressing a person by their name and patronimic is a basic formality in Russia.

How to determine a patronimic? Easy. First, male patronimics always end with "ovich" and "yevich", and feminine - with "ovna" and "yevna". If you see an author claiming that his Russian character has a surname with one of these endings, he's either doesn't know a single thing about slavic naming conventions, or the character just isn't of Russian descent. Also, no Eastern European surnames end like feminine patronimics as far as I know.

Second way to discern a patronimic is by looking at the full, three-part name of a person. Patronimic _**ALWAYS**_ stands **_IMMEDIATELY_** after the given name, regardless of the naming order. Once again, in our MC's case, his full name would be either "Dobrov Alexandr Bulatovich" or "Alexandr Bulatovich Dobrov". With no other combinations!

In coclusion, I would like to say that Asya talks the way she does out of cultural circumstances and not because "you just love hearing the name you created for yourself in the story". That's simply not true.

Also, I'm sorry if my response to this comment turned out a bit... unpleasant, I really am. I meant no offense. I also hope that this information will help any writers who happen to read it.

And to the rest of my readers - if you are enjoying my work so far, than this is just _prekrasno._ A quick question, though: would you like me to use actual Russian language? I mean, in the circumstances of an officially regulated situation I will be using Russian language anyway. I'm talking about day-to-day speech. It'll make it look a bit out of place, but, hey, at least you'll see other phrases besides 'cyka blyat'.

So, again, sorry for not uploading an actual chapter of any kind, but I really wanted to give you guys an update. You may leave your comment here, but beware - I will delete this chapter when I'm done with the real one.


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